The objectives of this work are to study the production of extracellular virulence factors of Staphylococcus aureus. In particular this work is directed towards understanding the food poisoning enterotoxins of these organisms and how they contribute to staphylococcal disease. The present work is directed toward unraveling the complex picture of production and extracellular elaboration. Although six serotypes of enterotoxin have been described, the work in this proposal will focus on enterotoxin B because it is the most investigated species of enterotoxin and therefore provides the best framework for constructing generalized models of synthesis. By a blending of molecular, biochemical, genetic and minimal toxicity testing, I hope to provide a comprehensive picture of the regulation of enterotoxin production and the transport of these substances to the extracellular environment. Ultimately, the results gathered from this work will be used to determine the significance of toxigenesis to the microbe and perhaps aid in later studies on the mode of action of the toxin in animal systems.